Check protector



P. M. CHASE Nov. 28, 1933.

CHECK PROTECTOR Filed March 12 1951 J0 A 7% M MUM? Patented Nov. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIc Philip M. Chase, Brookline, Mass.

Application March 12,1931. Serial No. 521,964

2 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide a compactdevice adapted to be carried in a garment pocket, if the owner so desires, or to be attached to a check book, and of such inexpensive contruction that it may be given by banks to their depositors; whereby a portion or portions of a check on which characters are written in converting a blank into a completed check, may be interrupted by cutting out paper therefrom after I completion, to form orifices interrupting the continuity of the said portion without impairing legibility, the edges of said orifices intersecting the surface of the check and characters written'thereon, so that successful alteration of said characters is difiicult of accomplishment.

Of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is an edge View, showing the protector as held by the users hand in manipulating it.

Figure 2 is a side view, showing the protector applied to a completed check and its effect in protecting the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show in perspective and separated from each other, the parts of the protector.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

My improved protector comprises a bottom plate 12, having a group of punches 13, and constituting a rest for a finger of an operating hand, as shown by Figure 1, and a top plate 14, having a group of punching orifices 15, and constituting a rest for the thumb of the operating hand. Said plates are resilient and preferably of tempered steel, and are connected with each other at one end of the protector, preferably by welding. The plates are oblong and their end portions carrying the dies are adapted to spring apart, so that the punching orifices are normally separated from the punches, to permit the insertion of a check 16.

When the plates are pressed toward each other, the punches, which are preferably circular, but

may be of any form and construction, and may be provided in any desired number and arrangement, cut blanks from the check and thus form a group of orifices 17 in the portion of the check between the dies. Said portion may be the space in which the amount is written by words, or the space in which the amount is written or expressed by numerals. The punching operation may be repeated indefinitely to provide the desired number of groups of orifices. The protector should include a. resilient stripper plate 18, having orifices coinciding with the punches 13, as in ordinary ticket punches, such stripper plate being welded between the outer plates, and having a guard 18a at the outer end to prevent entrance of the'check between it and the punches 13. Said guard is providedwith a lip 18 projecting under the base plate to limit the separation of the stripper plate from the punches.

The protector may be provided with means for attaching it to a check book, as a convenient measure for putting it where it can be readily found when wanted. Such means may conveniently be a clip 18b, made as an extension from the rear end of the stripper plate 18, curled up and over toward the outer face of the die plate 14.

To enable the user to conveniently locate the punches and punching orifices relative to the portion of the check to be punched, I provide one of the plates with indicating means, adapted to register with a written or filled-in portion of the check. Said means may conveniently be embodied in notches 20, formed in opposite edges of the outer plate 14, as shown by Figures 2 and 5.

The size and spacing apart of the punching dies are such that although the orifices 1'7 interrupt the continuity of the described check portions and some of the characters thereon, they do not impair legibility. The edges of the orifices 1'7 intersect the surface on which the characters are written, and render successful alteration of said characters difficult of accomplishment. By referenoe to Figure 2 it will be seen that the punches 13 and punch apertures 15 are arranged to simultaneously form a group of holes 17 in a check portion bearing written characters, such as the amount of the check expressed in letters, and that the protector is adapted to be operated so that said holes are distributed across said check portion and extensively mutilate written characters thereon.

It will also be seen that by moving the protector edgewise after each operation a row of hole groups may be formed as shown by Figure 2.

The notches 20 formed in the longitudinal edges of the top plate 14 are in transverse aline- 100 ment with the group of punching apertures 15,. and are arranged to constitute pointers adapted to guide an operator in locating the base and top plates with their longitudinal edges at right angles with the longitudinal edges of the check,

and the punches and punching apertures in position to extensively mutilate written characters on a check portion.

I claim:

1. A check protector comprising two oblong 1m plates having rigidly connected inner ends, one being a base plate provided at its outer end with a group of punches, and the other being a top plate provided at its outer end with a group of punching apertures in alinement with the punches, the major portion of said plates being yieldingly separated to permit the interposition between the said punches and apertures of a check portion bearing written characters, said punches and apertures being arranged to simultaneously form a group of holes in said check portion, said holes being distributed across the check portion, and extensively mutilating written characters thereon, the longitudinal edges of said top plate being notched to provide pointers in transverse alinement with the group of punching apertures, and arranged to guide an operator in locating the base and top plates with their longitudinal edges at right angles with the longitudinal edges of the check, and said apertures and punches in position to extensively mutilate written characters on said check portion.

2. A check protector comprising two oblong plates having rigidly connected inner ends, one being a base plate provided at its outer end with a group of punches, and the other being a top plate provided at its outer end with a group of punching apertures in alinement with the punches, the major portions of said plates being yieldingly separated to permit the interposition between the said punches and apertures of a check portion bearing written characters, said punches and apertures being arranged to simultaneously form a group of holes in said check portion, said holes being distributed across the check portion, and extensively mutilating written characters thereon, the protector comprising also a resilient oblong stripper plate interposed between said base and top plates, and rigidly connected at its inner end with the inner ends of said plates, the major portion of said stripper plate being yieldingly separated from the base plate and provided with punch receiving orifices, and with a downwardly projecting outer end extension constituting a guard, and provided with a lip projecting under the base plate to limit the separation of the major portion of the stripper plate from the base plate.

PHILIP M. CHASE. 

